Somewhere I Belong
by Gothic Ryou
Summary: NOT A SONGFIC. And unexpected girl shows up and changes Aoshi's (and Misao's) life for ever. But all she wants is to know where she belongs; she wants acceptance. Will she find it, or will she be shunned like she was when she was nine? NOT AxM


Ee hee hee! DEADLY STORY OF DEATH! MUWAHAHAHAHA! -cough- Oh, wait. x.O  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. This story is intended for entertainment only. It will not be sold. No profits will come from it. SO DON'T SUE ME! :}  
  
Claimer: BUT I'LL SUE YOU IF YOU STEAL MATOKAI AKO OR MATOKAI SESHOU FROM ME.  
  
Author's Note: THIS IS NOT A SONGFIC. However, titles of the chapters are going to be names of Linkin Park songs, because I'm a fuckering Linkin Park FANATIC. Have a day. Oh yeah, and stuff surrounded by dashes (ex: -moo-) is emphasized text. Sort of like Italics.  
  
*  
  
--Chapter 1-  
  
----Nobody's Listening----  
  
*  
  
The girl walked through the forest; her feet sinking slightly in the mud with every step she took. She didn't mind the downpour - her cloak covered herself (and her gi) from the water. Finally, she could see out of the forest; she stared directly at the house known as the Aoiya.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"I am looking for the one named Himura Kenshin," she stated.  
  
The young boy in the doorway nodded. "He's doing the laundry in the back yard." [A] [B]  
  
The girl nodded, and found the one she was looking for by a tub of water and a clothesline. The redhead looked up.  
  
"Himura-san. I have been informed that you know the whereabouts of Makimachi Misao."  
  
-End flashback-  
  
The girl knocked on the rice-paper door of the Aoiya. It opened, revealing an old man with white, winged out hair and a mustache.  
  
The girl bowed. "Okina. It is good to see you again."  
  
"Who are you, traveler?"  
  
The girl removed the hood from her cloak and looked up at Okina. "I was once known as Makimachi Ako."  
  
Okina's eyes widened in shock.  
  
*  
  
Ako sat, cross-legged, in front of Okina.  
  
"Shinamori told us that you were attacked by wolves and killed."  
  
Ako pointed to the three parallel scars that ran diagonally from underneath her eye to her jawbone. "Attacked by wolves, yes; killed, no."  
  
"Ah, so Shinamori lied."  
  
Ako nodded.  
  
"Tell me what -really- happened."  
  
-Several Years Earlier-  
  
"Ai!" the young Ako screamed, landing a roundhouse kick on Misao's stomach. Misao plopped down on the ground, crying.  
  
"Aoshi-kun! Ako hurt me!" Misao wailed.  
  
"We were sparring!"  
  
Aoshi shook his head, sighed, and knelt down near Misao. "Ako... Go find something to occupy yourself with."  
  
Ako looked away, hurt. She bolted up the nearest tree. At the age of nine, she was quicker than anyone else in the Oniwabanshuu was; even her six year old sister, who was the "prodigy" of the two sisters. Ako did have her advantages over Misao - she was quicker, more agile, and stronger. Misao was more accurate, a quick learner, more loyal, trustworthy, et cetera.  
  
The sun was setting, and Ako decided she'd sleep in the tree. Misao was already sound asleep. Ako, being the curious child she was, listened in to Aoshi and Beshimi's conversation:  
  
"She's slowing us down. She can only do roundhouse kick, and she gets tired easy."  
  
"Are you sure about this, Shinamori-san?"  
  
"Hai. She'll never be a good asset to us. She's too loud to be a ninja. She's not worthy of being in the Oniwabanshuu..."  
  
'So they finally decided to drop Misao,' Ako thought as she fell asleep.  
  
When Ako awoke (not bothering to actually open her eyes), everything was deathly silent. 'Maybe they're still asleep,' she thought.  
  
Ako yawned and climbed down out of the tree. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get them to focus. That's when it hit her - Aoshi wasn't talking about Misao. He was talking about -her-.  
  
No one was in sight. There was not trace of the fact that anyone had been here. No foot prints, human belongings; not even traces of a campfire.  
  
"AOSHI SHINAMORI! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" she called out to the forest.  
  
Ako began wandering around, searching for a way out of the seemingly endless forest.  
  
"I can do more than a roundhouse," Ako muttered, "Who does he think taught Misao a spinning hook kick? Certainly not -him-!"  
  
Suddenly, Ako heard a rustling sound in the bush to her left. She jumped backwards and went into defense mode.  
  
"W-Who's there?" Ako took another step back.  
  
A wolf jumped out of the bush, tackling Ako. The wolf's claw mad deep slash marks on her cheek. Ako drew her sais out of her obi and impaled them into the wolf, and threw the wolf off of her. She didn't bother retrieving her sais or getting up; she figured that she had killed the only wolf in the bush. However, four other wolves emitted from the bush. Ako jumped up and tried to fight them off as best as she could, but considering she was only nine, the wolves kept on attacking, and she couldn't get her sais, she was a bit on the losing side. Ako tried to shake the wolves off and get her sais, but a wolf tackled her from behind.  
  
The next thing she knew, she heard a whizzing noise, and when she looked up, she saw a young man with dark blue hair tied back into a loose pony tail, who was wearing a black cloak, catch a long-bladed katana. Ako felt blood leaking onto her back, and when she rolled over (knocking the wolf off of her), she found all four wolves decapitated.  
  
Ako looked back up to see the young man turn and begin to walk away. Although it was painful, she stood up and chased after the young man who had saved her life.  
  
"Wait, wait! You saved my life! Did you actually -throw- your sword? What's your name?"  
  
The man stopped. "I am Matokai Seshou."  
  
***SHOELACES HAVE FEELINGS! VOTE 'YES' ON ISSUE FOUR!***[C]  
  
Ako got down on her knees and stared at the ground. "Please, Matokai- san, I beg of you to train me."  
  
The man turned to face her. "You are wearing Oniwabanshuu colors. You should be trained by one of your own clan."  
  
"I... Today, I was stripped of my membership to the Oniwabanshuu. Because... Because Aoshi-kun thought I was weak..."  
  
"-Are- you weak?"  
  
"Iie, Matokai-san. My sister is the better ninja, but I am stronger than her."  
  
"And did he get rid of your sister, too?"  
  
"Iie, he favors Misao."  
  
Matokai-san sighed. "Very well. Go fetch you sais. We will begin training tomorrow."  
  
"Thank you, Matokai-san!" Ako grabbed her sais and caught up with Matokai-san.  
  
"Your face is bleeding," he stated.  
  
"I know."  
  
-Present-  
  
"Seshou - Matokai-san - was the leader of the White Raven clan. Not only that, but he was the love of my life. We were married four years ago, on my sixteenth birthday." A single teardrop trickled down Ako's cheek.  
  
"Where is he now?" Okina asked.  
  
"He... He was murdered. A year ago, Since I was his apprentice, I was next in line for leadership. I took over for about three months... But I gave up the title and became a rurouni. The memories of Seshou were too strong in the clan. I couldn't handle it."  
  
"That is understandable, Ako."  
  
Ako took of the black cloak - which had a white raven embroidered on the bottom left of the front side - and held it in her arms. "This was his cloak. The one he was wearing the day he found me."  
  
"Okina, we're -" Misao stopped. An almost mirror image of herself was sitting on the floor near Okina. The only difference was that the girl was taller, had scars on her cheek, and her hair was slightly shorter and pulled back into a loose ponytail instead of a braid. "-Home," she finished.  
  
Ako stood up. "Misao, Aoshi," she nodded to each of them, "I should be leaving now."  
  
"But it's pouring down rain! And you haven't introduced yourself yet!" Misao exclaimed.  
  
"She's part of the White Raven clan. She had no purpose here." Aoshi pointed at Ako's ninja outfit. It was black with light gray trim, and it had a large, white raven on the back.  
  
"I'm the Okashira, now, Aoshi! And I say she can stay!"  
  
"Okashira..." Ako whispered. Before she was removed from the Oniwabanshuu, Ako was told that -she- would be the Okashira, because she was the elder of the Makimachi sisters.  
  
Ako pulled a small, tattered, two-colored blue ninja outfit out of her obi - she had put it in her obi, next to her sais, so she could return it. She tossed it to Aoshi casually. "I'm sure Aoshi knows who I am. After all, it was -his- idea to leave me stranded in the woods when I was nine," she stated cynically.  
  
Aoshi looked puzzled. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Ako stepped closer to him, getting in his face. "Perhaps I should refresh your memory? 'She'll never be a -good asset- to us! She's too -loud- to be a ninja! She's not -worthy- of being in the -Oniwabanshuu-!  
  
Aoshi's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. Ako took a step back, a smirked.  
  
"Too bad I was a slow learner, eh? Sure, when I was nine, I had poor cardio-respiratory endurance. All I needed was a bit more training. But no, I always to go 'find something to occupy yourself', didn't I? You always -did- favor Misao."  
  
"I... Er, uh...Well... But..." Aoshi stammered.  
  
"Seshou sure didn't think I could only do roundhouse kicks," she smirked, "Oh no, he -knew- I could take any one of his henchmen down if he wasn't careful. You never -noticed- that I was stronger than Misao. You never -noticed- that I could -jump higher- and -outrun- every member of the Oniwabanshuu!" Ako stared at the ground. "Seshou did."  
  
Misao tugged on Aoshi's sleeve. "What is she -talking- about, Aoshi?"  
  
"Etto..."  
  
Ako looked up, her eyes watery, her lips pulled into a sad smile. "Perhaps you've heard of my husband? Matokai Seshou? The one you ordered to be murdered a year ago?"  
  
***And now, introducing, Dancing Dolls! Dance dance dance! Dance dance dance!***[D]  
  
Ako didn't think it was possible, but Aoshi's eyes widened further.  
  
"Y'know, Misao and I always fought for your attention. All Misao had to do was cry. I never got any attention. And now, seeing you again... It makes me realize just how much I truly loved you back then. I was convinced you'd come back," Ako shook her head, "But I realized that there were other fish in the sea. I began to notice the way my shishou looked at me. I began to notice the jealous looks I got from every other female member of the White Raven clan. Hai, I was -thirteen- when I finally stopped moping. It took me -four years- to get over you. And then, when I was fourteen, my best friend committed suicide. She drown herself in the river. And y'know who was there to comfort me? Not you! You weren't there, Aoshi! You never were! It was Seshou! Seshou was the -love of my life- and you took him away from me!" Ako collapsed on the ground, sobbing. [E] "Do you know who I am yet? Do you know?" Ako whispered.  
  
Misao didn't say anything, and Aoshi was too dumbfounded to speak.  
  
"I am Matokai Ako. My maiden name was Makimachi."  
  
Misao now stood in a state of shock and confusion.  
  
"Misao? Y-Y'know y-y-your sister, th-the one who died? Sh-She didn't die," Aoshi said, nervously.  
  
Okina stepped forth. "Misao, I think it is time that you re-met your sister."  
  
*  
  
Hah hah! ANGSTY LIKE A MOTHER! WOOHOO!  
  
[A] Y'know who that was, right? TWAS YAHIKO! WOOHOO!  
  
[B] For all you non-Japanese speaking people, here are the words that were in Japanese:  
  
Iie - no  
  
Okashira - leader  
  
Etto - um  
  
Hai - yes  
  
Ako - box (yes, it's her name, but it means box!)  
  
[C] COMMERCIAL BREAK! JAPANESE STYLE!  
  
[D] ANOTHER COMMERCIAL BREAK! WOOHOO!  
  
[E] Her friend will be introduced later, in a flashback. I didn't put that part there for it to be pretty! It's going to be important later! SO REMEMBER IT! 


End file.
